morganatic

PRONUNCIATION:

(mor-guh-NAT-ik)

MEANING:

adjective:
Of or relating to a marriage between two people of different social
ranks such that the spouse of lower rank and the children do not share
the titles or possessions of the higher-ranking spouse.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin matrimonium ad morganaticam (marriage with a morning gift),
implying that the gift given on the morning after the wedding was the
only gift received by the wife. It was also known as a left-handed marriage
because the groom held his bride's hand with his left (instead of right)
hand. The word is of Germanic origin (morgen: morning, e.g. guten morgen:
good morning). From a word for 'morning' to a word for a kind of marriage,
that's an example of the idiosyncratic ways languages evolve.

USAGE:

"Nicholas [Sheremetev] was severely punished by society and his friends
for his morganatic marriage, which was regarded as class treason."
Simon Sebag; The Serf Who Married Her Owner; The Telegraph
(London, UK); Jun 20, 2008.